Short-term effects of soil amendment with meadowfoam seed meal on soil microbial composition and function

Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba Hartw. ex Benth) seed meal (MSM), a by-product of meadowfoam oil extraction, has a secondary metabolite known as glucosinolate glucolimnanthin. MSM applied as a soil amendment has been reported to have herbicidal and fertilizer properties. Experiments were conducted over 28 days to evaluate short-term effects of a MSM application on soil microbial communities. MSM was applied to soil as either a full or a split application. In addition to MSM and untreated control treatments, urea was used as a N source to account for the fertilizer effect of the seed meal. Urea was applied either as a full or a split rate on the same schedule as MSM. Soil microbial activities were not different between the full and the split rate applications of MSM. After day 7 following MSM application, carbon-source utilization of microbial communities of MSM was different from the urea and control treatments. Microbial communities in MSM treatments utilized complex carbon sources to a relatively greater degree than microbial communities in urea or control treatments. The C and N inputs from MSM increased the gross metabolic activity of the mixed microbial population. Basal respiration was stimulated and microbes reallocated carbon input to biomass and enzyme production. Within 7 and 14 days after MSM application, the reallocation occurred quickly and microbial biomass increased by at least 80% for C and 95% for N compared to the untreated control. In the short-term, MSM treatments affected nutrient dynamics, and the soil microbial structure and function. The effects of MSM application on the composition of bacterial and fungal communities warrant additional study.